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Sonos version 8.5 is now available, bringing some minor bug fixes and reliability improvements to Sonos.

As part of this update, Sonos CR100 controllers will no longer connect with Sonos systems. Learn more at sonos.com/cr100.

That’s IT? Six months after Alexa enabled, an STILL no support for the AudioPlayer interface? UNBELIEVABLE! This means a huge and ever-growing list of Alexa skills is STILL not supported by Sonos. Sad!

Yeah, it's unbelievable that sometimes one still has to use their fingertips in order to control Sonos. It's a cruel world out there. (Sorry couldn't resist.)

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)

There are several Alexa improvements in the works right now, including getting some of those audio skills working, and a better version of ducking too. There are a lot of moving parts here, so I don't want to put down a timeline that may not be kept, but these are things that are top of the list and will be getting out to the world as soon as they're ready.

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Yeah, it's unbelievable that sometimes one still has to use their fingertips in order to control Sonos. It's a cruel world out there. (Sorry couldn't resist.)

Would be understandable if Amazon were the issue here. But the $49 Roav VIVA in my car supports all of these AudioPlayer skills, and has done so for months. I use it daily for podcasts and more while driving. Sonos is inexplicably slow at getting this basic Alexa interface working. It will also allow voice control of your local NAS files via the MyMedia skill (and a computer, including just a Pi).

I was going to groan (just a little bit) as the option to 'detect new session' had gone from the iOS app main settings in the 8.5 update, but I now see the developers have renamed and moved the feature into the Sonos App Advanced Settings. I really like this option, glad it is still there as i find it extremely useful. The update installed fine... no issues at all.

Yes, but the $49 Roav VIVA isn't a sophisticated multi-room system, is it?

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)

Sonos version 8.5 is now available, bringing some minor bug fixes and reliability improvements to Sonos.

As part of this update, Sonos CR100 controllers will no longer connect with Sonos systems. Learn more at sonos.com/cr100.

Ryan S

It is not clear to me from your release, so I would be grateful if you could clarify, which new feature released today required the removal of the CR100 from 8.5 onward Sonos systems? Or to ask this another way, what features released today are worth getting rid of our CR100s for?

Could you also confirm the procedure to ensure that we remain on 8.4 or are able to reload 8.4 in the event of an accidental "upgraded" to 8.5, should we decide that the new features detailed in your response to my first question do not justified the loss of our CR100s?

PS - For some reason I feel that the demise of the original and for many years the only controller for Sonos should have warranted a full 9.0 release rather than just an incremental 8.x!

Yes, but the $49 Roav VIVA isn't a sophisticated multi-room system, is it?

Echos and Dots do multi-room, and fully support the dozens of important skills that rely on this interface.

Look, I’m a huge Sonos fanboy, but this, to me, is just inexcusable. Sonos should have supported this from day one of the Alexa rollout, to truthfully advertise full Alexa support. Encouraging that Ryan says it’s at the top of their list, at least.

@TJRL, the reasons for the disconnect of the CR100 have been gone into pretty thoroughly in the main thread, and via email, as you know from the discussion in the main CR100 thread. It wasn't that there was one specific feature in this release, but with the system as a whole for the future. Some big improvements, such as Airplay2 and others yet to be announced, are coming this year and we're getting ready for them.

Most of the changes in this update aren't readily visible aside from the CR100, unless you were experiencing one of the bugs that was fixed. For the sake of keeping the conversation in one place, let's try to keep the discussion on the CR100 in the main thread for the topic.

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You wrote “As part of this update...”. Can you share the other part of this update?

Thanks!

I think minor 'bug fixes and reliability improvements' are the other part, as those things are mentioned in the initial part of Ryan's post.

The one fix I’ve noticec is improvement to the 'detect new sesion' feature, as it now maintains existing room groupings when the screen pops up.

But I cannot see how any of these normal "house keeping" items would have necessitated the demise of the CR100.

There must be something more surely?

TJRL,

I don’t think I have read anything about the CR100 controller disconnection being associated with any particular update in this latest 8.5 release. I certainly don’t recall, personally speaking, Sonos announcing that, at any point, in the last couple of months. I have always been under the belief that the company had decided to no longer support the old device, for the reasons outlined by the CEO, Mr Spence, going forward from this point onward.

Unless I have missed something in the things that the Sonos representatives have said in the 'Save The CR100' thread. I’m not sure why you thought that something was being released in this update that necessitated the demise of the CR100. Wasn’t the company decision made for the reasons that Mr Spence stated in the reply to johngolfuk's letter?

So there still isn’t an option to have different volumes in different zones for alarms? FFS, how difficult is it to implement? I (and others) have been asking for this for years.

I'll make sure the request is up to the team for more complex alarm control. I can't promise it'll get added, or when it might happen, but I'll make sure they hear it. The team loves hearing what you are all looking for.

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So there still isn’t an option to have different volumes in different zones for alarms? FFS, how difficult is it to implement? I (and others) have been asking for this for years.

I'll make sure the request is up to the team for more complex alarm control. I can't promise it'll get added, or when it might happen, but I'll make sure they hear it. The team loves hearing what you are all looking for.

A quick search reveals that people have been requesting this for over 3 years, with people such as yourself claiming that they’ll pass on the request. Call me cynical but I’m not holding my breath. I’ve been on the beta program for 5 years and even my help there doesn’t seem to get anything done. I’d love you to prove me wrong.

Ryan S - Have there been any updates on the progress of Google Assistant support for the Sonos One?
Do you know if we can expect it in the first half of this year or will it be later in the year?
I have been checking for updates for the last couple of months but I haven't seen anything.
Any info would be great!